Family Dinner
by AgentOfAngst
Summary: Wasabi gets cornered into a family dinner, with his girlfriend tagging along to meet the parents and his anxiety making a grand entrance. Kind of related to Money Doesn't grow on Trees, multi-chaptered.
1. Family Reunion

**Money Doesn't Grow on Trees made me want to write more about Wasabi's past, in short, I love this man and he must be protected. I've also had this GoGo meets his family idea for a while, so here we are.**

**Multi-chaptered.**

**This is a 2020 update since I've rapidly extended my ideas about Wasabi, now also known as Wesley "Wes" Payton Ginger, and GoGo, and their families. The same premise survives but things will be slightly different. When We Were Younger has even more about Wesley and his family, so check it out if you haven't. **

* * *

The squeaking wheel on his cart was driving him insane. He just wanted to fix it, but he was pretending that it wasn't getting on his nerves.

"Let me get another cart," GoGo suggested, watching him slowly lose it.

"It's fine," Wasabi insisted, carefully selecting his groceries.

"I will be there and back before you pick a jar of pasta sauce." That sounded like a bet, and he almost rose to accept it. But what kind of person was he if he couldn't survive a squeaking wheel? It wasn't like it was all he could focus on, he was fine.

"Please? You won't let me grab anything on your list because it has to be perfect. So please let me get you a better cart?"

"Okay. But I'll have picked out a pasta sauce before you get back."

"I'm sure you will," She wasn't mocking him. She wouldn't do that.

He went back to the task at hand, deliberating between the options. What he was in the mood for, what would be the easiest to clean off of his pans, which one had an acceptable ingredients list, how many people he anticipated serving with this pasta, what dish he was making. He rushed his pros and cons list a little bit, to prove GoGo wrong, and had selected both the sauce and the type of pasta when he heard someone approach. The footsteps were a little louder than GoGo's but he still assumed it was her, or some other random shopper. He didn't look away from his choices, feeling pretty smug about his sped up decision-making process, and trying his best not to have second thoughts about it. And then he was addressed by name, sort of.

"Hey, Freak." Wasabi immediately flinched, then he remembered that Freak was just what his brother called him, short for Neat Freak, and he relaxed. Then he looked up to see his brothers and he flinched again, the pasta sauce jar leaping from his hands and dying a messy death on the floor. Wasabi yelped and tried to start cleaning it before an employee rushed over and told him to be careful of the broken glass. He'd already cut his hand a little, and his pants were splattered with tomato sauce. In shame, he stepped back and started spewing apologies.

"I'm so sorry, I'll pay for it, I'll pay double, I'm so so sorry."

"It's okay, sir, these things happen all the time, just try to be careful. Let us take care of it." That drove Wasabi crazy too. There was a mess and he wanted to fix it. It was his fault and he couldn't fix it. He wasn't allowed to fix it. He couldn't stop looking at it until his brother started talking again.

"Still messing things up, huh, Wesley?" His older brother teased, nudging him playfully and causing him to cringe.

"Yeah, Damon." He was so stressed out, his hands were shaking.

"You startled him, he wouldn't have dropped the pasta sauce otherwise," Gogo said appearing next to him with a new cart, putting a new jar of the same type of pasta sauce in the cart and taking the pasta box from Wasabi's shaking hands.

"Ah well. I'm Damon, this is Khary, what are you doing with this Freak?"

"I don't really appreciate you calling my boyfriend a freak."

"It's okay, GoGo, they're my brothers…"

"I know, it's pretty obvious, I mean I've seen them before. That doesn't mean they get to insult you." Wasabi was surprised, appreciative, yet apprehensive of GoGo's defense. He just wanted to go home and clean the blood and tomato sauce off his outfit. He was freaking out, he felt sick to his stomach and GoGo could tell.

"It's just a nickname, sweetheart," Damon said, once again commandeering the conversation, exerting his older brother energy per usual. Khary was usually much quieter, probably because Damon was so... Extra. But Khary wasn't without his own flaws. He just kept it quiet, taking after Wasabi just a little bit more in his readiness to push emotions down. Khary's eyes glanced down to Wasabi's shaking hands, and the teensiest edge of a smirk, or maybe a frown, lined his younger features, for just a second. Khary was nearly impossible to read. Then the maybe smirk disappeared and he shoved his hands in his pockets. Wasabi couldn't calm his hands from shaking, so he just tried to hide them. GoGo took the list and tried to rush through it, wanting to get back to his place before Wasabi shut down. She was scowling at the sweetheart comment, rubbed the wrong way.

"Nicknames don't have to be condescending, sweetheart. Wes goes by Wasabi now." Damon chuckled.

"Is that right, Neat Freak? You go by Wasabi now?"

"Yes." Wasabi kept his eyes on GoGo, not even protesting her chosen purchases because that was the least important thing going on right now.

"I like it. It's quirky," Damon complimented, though Wasabi never knew if he was sincere or not.

"Wasabi," Khary tested the name on his tongue, speaking up for the first time since the interaction began. Wasabi nodded. The tomato sauce was soaking into his clothes, and his sliced hand was hidden, bleeding, in his sleeve.

"Listen, Wasabi, you should come over for dinner tomorrow night. I'm back in town for the week and mom's cooking. It'll be great to have everyone together. She talks like you never go home." Wasabi's face was burning. It was so weird to hear his older brother use his nickname.

"Uh, sure…" He reluctantly agreed, as GoGo sped up checking things off the grocery list and they awkwardly wandered down the aisles together.

"You can come too, sweetheart."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," GoGo promised bitterly, pushing the cart towards check out. Wasabi needed to get out of this situation as quickly as possible.

"Don't be a stranger, Wesley," Damon called, as they headed out, but they didn't look back.

Wasabi was ready to pass out from that high-key stressful situation, or maybe from losing blood, though he hid his hand and pretended he wasn't injured.

"I'll pay you back." She'd done a shopping speed run and that had included paying for his stuff.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure I'll eat half of this food, we practically live together and I definitely didn't get the right brands," she joked, trying to make him feel better. He laughed but there was no joy behind his laughter. He just wanted to get home, maybe start a pot of coffee. They headed toward his car, but they weren't done running into people today. This was a little better than the earlier run-in. But just a little bit better.

"Hey, guys." Hiro was running errands for his aunt, Baymax tagging along. Baymax looked Wasabi over.

"There is an untreated laceration on Wasabi's right hand." Hiro jumped back in surprise and GoGo grabbed his hand, pulling up the sleeve.

"Dude, what happened?" Hiro asked.

"I broke a jar of pasta sauce and cut myself a little cleaning it up."

"Why didn't you say something?" GoGo asked, but didn't press him for long. Baymax disinfected and bandaged the cut, and GoGo gave Hiro the quick version of what happened. Wasabi wasn't paying attention though. Wasabi was stuck in his head, dreading dinner tomorrow night.

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**For those wondering where I got the names of the brothers I made up for Wasabi, Damon Wayans Jr. played film Wasabi, and Khary Payton is television Wasabi, so I wanted to appreciate them. That's also where I got "Wesley's" middle name. Wesley was a name I just came up with on my own though because I wanted it to sound a little like his nickname and I also like the nickname, Wes.**


	2. Welcome Home

**We met his brothers in chapter 1, now let's meet his mom. We'll get the full set soon enough.**

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"It really isn't so bad, Wasabi. You speak so well of your parents. It will be good to finally meet them. So your older brother is obnoxious, but Khary didn't seem so bad." GoGo straightened his tie, even though it was already perfect. She just wanted to give him an extra bit of comfort. He'd chosen to go formal for this occasion. GoGo wore a more dressed up look herself, dress slacks and a dark top with silver designs. She didn't wear dresses, didn't own dresses, so this was the best she could do for him right now. Normally, he would have assured her she was radiant, which she would try to brush off. Now he was still too inside his own head.

"They're…" He faltered, turned, and paced, fussing with his hair, trying to get it proper.

"You can tell me anything, Wasabi."

"I can't stand them!" He finally exploded, letting the words rush out. GoGo stepped back in surprise and then stepped closer to him.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, you'll see when you meet them. I talk nice about them all the time because that's how I cope, GoGo. I lie about things. I tried to keep it private but I can't. You know we both had crap childhoods outside of Tadashi-" His voice cracked and he froze, trying to backtrack. Tadashi's friendship had been their oasis, but he didn't like to bring it up these days.

"You never talk about it, Wasabi. I've always known they were strict and that you were escaping something… I've just never known what you were escaping. You can tell me anything."

"They're the reason everything has to be perfect, GoGo. The reason I don't ask for things, the reason I just suck it up and push it down… I… I can't explain it but I know that I'm better, or, not as bad, when I'm not around them. And don't even get me started about Damon!" GoGo took his hand and squeezed it.

"Hey, don't worry about it Wasabi. It's just a dinner, and then you get to come home. Do you hear that? They don't control your life. You do. And I will be with you the whole time." That didn't comfort him very much, even though it should have.

"I'm going to do a walkthrough," he muttered, gesturing around his apartment. He was going to make sure that everything was in its place before he went to his parent's house. He needed some semblance of order and control. He was in control here, and when he returned he would be returning to organization and order.

"How's your hand?" She asked, looking at the bandage on his right hand and following him through the walkthrough, careful not to mess anything up.

"Oh, it's fine. Looking forward to the spaghetti we're going to have." GoGo smiled.

"Yes, see! After this dinner, we can go back to normal."

"Acting like we practically live together," he hadn't forgotten her comment from yesterday. She blushed a little bit.

"We don't, though."

"Yeah."

"That would be messy. I'd wreck your sense of order..."

"Oh, totally. But I mean, one day…" He mentioned, looking down.

"Hm?" He walked out a little faster, toward his car.

"What was that, Wasabi, one day what?"

"If we ever get married, we would live together." He said it so casually like he wasn't terrified. Maybe it was adrenaline. After all, he was about to face something much scarier than marriage. The car ride was pretty quiet after that, GoGo didn't exactly know where his head was right now and didn't want to commit to marriage while he wasn't his best self. He was probably just saying that out of nervousness.

His family wasn't much for hugging, but his mom gave him a bit of a side hug when she opened the door. Deborah Ginger was an office administrator, her husband Aaron was an orthodontist, and her children were supposed to be successful. She was kind of proud of her middle son, pursuing a scientific career. He was an inventor, and that might make good money one day. And even if it didn't, it seemed like he was some kind of happy, and that was better than being depressed and anxious and making everyone else feel awkward and uncomfortable.

"Hi, mom." He squeaked.

"Why don't you come around anymore?"

"I've just been so busy mom. I have a lot of projects, and I work," not to mention Big Hero 6.

"You weren't even going to tell me you have a girlfriend now?" There was nothing faker than the smile on his face.

"Oh, this is GoGo. She's the greatest." Even in the midst of his anxiety, he couldn't help praising her. GoGo blushed a little.

"GoGo is it? And I hear you go by Wasabi now. What's with all the nicknames, bud?"

"I don't know, it's just what we do," he muttered, hating being interrogated by someone who didn't really call him by his real name either. It was always "bud" or "honey" or, sometimes, "little man." Usually not little man. Not after he'd gotten taller than his dad.

"My real name is Leiko, you can use either. It's nice to meet you," GoGo said, tone calm, smile as real as she could manage, and handshake firm.

"It's nice to meet you too, honey." And now he wasn't even honey anymore. Suddenly a hand grabbed him from the side, Damon asserting dominance. Damon had always been better at him at everything. Damon was more emotionally stable, already had a nice well paying but not too risky job, was way more athletic and handsome (in Wasabi's insecure mind) and had always, always been the favorite son. Damon squeezed Wasabi's shoulder until his little brother flinched, then hugged him.

"I didn't think you were actually going to come! You hate family dinners."

"That's not true…" Wasabi muttered, looking down, though it was true. He couldn't meet Damon's gaze, couldn't meet Damon's challenge.

"Come on man, you never come around and you've never invited any of us to your place, it's like you were dying to leave," Damon emphasizes dying to leave with a twinge of sadness, maybe anger, but he was still smiling, always so happy, always so so happy.

"Damon, don't start something," their mom said half-heartedly. But he was right. Wasabi didn't come around. Damon came around all the time, though. He was a mama's boy and was happy to prove it.

"No, he's right. You're being so kind treating GoGo and I to dinner, why don't you come to our place next week?"

"Our place?" GoGo asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You two live together?" Wasabi grimaced in embarrassment.

"No, that just came out. We don't live together." He sent GoGo a look as if to remind her about their conversation from earlier. One day. GoGo took his left hand and squeezed it.

"Damon, when are you leaving?" Wasabi asked, seeming a little bit on autopilot. Maybe that's why he'd slipped up about living with GoGo. He wasn't really thinking right now, he was just trying to say the next right thing, and he was getting it all wrong, and his hands were shaking, even though GoGo was holding one of them.

"This coming Friday." Damon wore a sparkling smile, using his own happiness, his own confidence, as a weapon against Wasabi.

"Perfect, we'll have a farewell dinner on Thursday. Does Thursday work for everyone?"

"I have- never mind. I can get out of it." Khary looked like he had been about to protest the decision but then fell silent. Wasabi didn't press him about it.

"Let's eat." Their mom said cheerfully, and then they headed into the dining room.


	3. Entree

**Oh man, I didn't mean to stretch this night into so many chapters, it was only supposed to be one, but there will be at least another chapter for the dinner, maybe two more. I don't know how long this story will be but I'm pretty sure I can write it before ten chapters. I'm having a lot of fun though! And I hope you guys like it too.**

**Please review!**

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"Wasabi, good to see you." It was disconcerting to hear his dad use that name. And so casually. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Wes or Wesley is fine if you prefer," he mumbled, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Wesley has invited us over for dinner Thursday. Isn't that great?" His mom asked, smiling at everyone. Wasabi stared at the ground, dying a little on the inside.

"I might be a little busy but I'm sure I can make time for dinner with my kids." GoGo looked at Wasabi, who was staring at his shaking hands in anger, looking like he was close to losing it. GoGo worked to change the subject.

"Khary, are you in high school?" Everyone was surprised because Khary was not a conversationalist, of course, GoGo had no way of knowing that.

"Yeah, I'm a sophomore. I'm 15."

"We have a friend who goes to SFIT who's just a little younger than you, you two might get along." Khary shifted uncomfortably, suddenly self-conscious about his intelligence, and nodded.

"So you also go SFIT, honey?" Why did these pet names make him feel so awkward and angry? Maybe it was because he doubted that there was any love behind those names. He didn't know if his mom loved him or if his mom loved success and convenience. It was hard to tell. He hated wondering if his parents liked him. He hated convincing himself that there was something he needed to do to get them to feel the same way about him that they felt about Damon. He wasn't Damon! But he wanted to be the favorite son and he loathed himself for wanting it. He stared at his plate while Damon cheerfully got the food their mom had been preparing from the kitchen. Always the perfect son.

"Yeah, I've got a magnetic personality." GoGo made a joke that only Wasabi got and that no one laughed at. Wasabi squeezed her hand and explained.

"She works with magnets, trying to create a frictionless, fast, and efficient mode of transportation."

"Oh."

"It's very cool," Wasabi insisted, giving them a look.

"It sounds cool," Damon said, swooping in with the food and then giving Wasabi a playful shake, grabbing him by the shoulder and jostling him a bit. Wasabi cringed and GoGo rubbed circles into his hand.

"Are you a neat freak like my little brother, Leiko?" Damon asked.

"No, I don't have OCD." A silence fell over the room for a second before Damon jumped right back into the conversation.

"Mom, could you pass the stir fry? It smells fantastic!"

"Yes, of course, I hope you all like it, it's so good to have all my boys home."

"It's good to be home, mom," Damon said, playing his part so well. As someone who still lived at home, Khary wasn't required to say anything. It took Wasabi a moment to realize all eyes were on him, expectantly, except for GoGo who just gently squeezed his hand under the table.

"Yeah." Was all that Wasabi was able to say because he didn't actually love being home. But he knew which part he was supposed to play. His rugged older brother had taught him that. His rugged older brother forcefully shoved the stir fry pan at Wasabi so Wasabi would please for heaven's sake stop talking. Every time Wasabi started to talk everyone felt worse. Wasabi got the message and sullenly studied his plate, taking measured bites, trying not to eat too fast and end up feeling sick. Sicker than he already felt, that is.

"It's really good," GoGo complimented after she'd tried some. His mom beamed.

"It's one of Damon's favorites." It's cheap, Wasabi thought.

"It is one of my favorites. You're an amazing cook. I don't get good homemade stuff where I live. I can't cook worth anything." Damon glanced at Wasabi and winked. Wasabi's hand shook as he forked another bite of stir fry. He should compliment their mom too. He should say something nice about the dinner. He was so distracted by feeling angry and out of place that he'd almost forgotten the manners he'd learned from Damon, but he still tried to follow social cues.

"You outdid yourself," he muttered, trying not to say the exact same things as the others. Why was this so hard? It wasn't hard with anyone else, anyone outside of their family. Why was being genuine with his family such an impossible task? He fought terrifying bad guys regularly, why was this so much more terrifying and difficult?

"I'm excited to see what you'll make for us Thursday," his mom said with a smile. He nodded, forcing a smile of his own.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll do my best."

"Wasabi is a pretty good cook," GoGo complimented.

"Oh yeah?" His mom asked.

"Yeah, better than I am at least. I only know how to make the basics. Grilled cheese and stuff."

"I didn't know you liked to cook," His mom studied him critically. Wasabi thought about all the school lunches he'd made on his own in middle school and high school, thought about his part-time job at The Lucky Cat where he'd helped with the baking, thought about babysitting Khary and being responsible for dinner, and he tried not to snort.

"It's better than eating Noodle Burger all the time," Wasabi countered, feeling like he was disarming a bomb. That actually might be more pleasant than this. Less stressful.

"He's right," Damon said with a laugh, "I should really learn how to cook." Another wink in Wasabi's direction.

This whole time his dad had said next to nothing, but now he picked up on something that no one else had really noticed, or at least something no one else had said anything about.

"Bud, what did you do to your hand?" Wasabi looked down at his bandaged hand, now the center of attention. He didn't answer, panicking and ashamed.

"Yesterday at the grocery store I made Wasabi drop a jar of pasta sauce, he must have cut his hand on broken glass," Khary explained, startling Wasabi since it had definitely been Damon's fault if anyone was to blame.

"Yeah, I just cut my hand on broken glass." He didn't know why Khary was taking the fall for Damon. Maybe he'd ask him about it later. Maybe on Thursday.

"Oh. Okay. I hope it heals up. Must be hard working with all those little precision tools of yours with an injured hand."

"It's certainly not any easier."

"So school is going okay, Wesley?" His mom asked, passing around a dish of spring rolls to go with the stir fry. His mom really was an excellent cook. Hiro's aunt would put her to shame, but his mom had a way of bringing different types of cuisines to life in cost-effective ways.

"Yeah, I really like it. It feels like just yesterday I started, and graduation is basically just around the corner."

"I'm glad to hear that things are going well. Have you started looking into any jobs or internships in your field?" Wasabi bit his lip in tired frustration, shoving stir fry in his mouth. So GoGo took this one.

"Wasabi and I have been looking at a couple of things. There's good work in the city, but there are also a lot of opportunities elsewhere." GoGo hadn't let go of his hand this whole time. It was keeping him grounded and he couldn't be more grateful for his anchor.

"It's good that you two are such a united front. He needs someone like you," Damon said, giving Wasabi another playful nudge.

"I need him just as much as he needs me," GoGo said firmly. She had people's backs. Sure, sometimes she teased people, she teased Wasabi all the time. But he needed her support right now and she wasn't going to back down from this challenge. She'd give him all the strength he needed to be able to woman up.

"So you're thinking of moving away from San Fransokyo, Wesley?" His mom asked, her smile dropping. If Wesley moved away he probably wouldn't visit like Damon did. He still lived in the city and hardly visited now.

"We'll see. I'm a bit young to be an SFIT professor, so I'll probably make my start elsewhere. San Fransokyo will always be home though." He squeezed GoGo's hand to let her know that she would always be home for him. She squeezed back in agreement, and a tense silence fell over the table, broken only by Wasabi's dad.

"Dinner was delicious, darling. But I have some work to do, so I'm going to head upstairs." Wasabi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, squeezing GoGo's hand painfully.

"Alright, we have dessert but you can get some later."

"I'm going to go lie down, I have a headache and I still have homework." Khary excused himself before bolting upstairs. The silence was deafening.

"I'll go get that dessert," Damon offered, still as cheerful as ever.

* * *

**What do you guys think about the idea of Wasabi wanting to teach at SFIT? I think it makes sense for such a smart and particular guy. I think he'd end up there after working out his designs and inventions in the world. Read Moving Too Fast if you want to find out where he and GoGo end up.**


	4. Coffee and Dessert

**Haha, I did it! I managed to finish the night with one chapter. Kind of hard to keep going when there's no small talk to draw out.**

* * *

"Khary and Damon made the brownies, gave me a little break from cooking," Their mom praised

"Oh, we just followed the recipe on a box. Nothing compares to what you make." Damon was such a kiss-up. Or maybe he was just a loving son. Wasabi couldn't relate. He didn't feel accepted here, so he didn't really try to kiss-up. He knew it was probably the only thing that would make his parents like him unless he became a billionaire, but he was too exhausted to try. He just sat, rubbing circles into GoGo's hand, tired of being angry, tired of feeling inadequate, drained of adrenaline and realizing he'd invited his parents and brothers over for dinner in less than a week. He didn't feel good enough to eat a brownie with vanilla ice cream. He didn't know if his stomach would ever be settled enough for him to eat ever again.

"That's about as good as I can do," GoGo commiserated with Damon, who smiled at her. Wasabi was kind of glad that his brother was getting along with his girlfriend but on the other hand, he had this irrational fear of his more handsome brother snatching GoGo away from him. That was crazy, they'd only just met and there was no chemistry between them. He was just used to Damon winning. Even when Damon wasn't actively competing. Wasabi let go of GoGo's hand for the first time that entire dinner, standing up and pushing in his seat.

"I'll do the dishes," he offered. His parents had never had a dishwasher other than him. He was grateful for the machine in his own apartment but he also liked the calm, mindlessness of doing dishes by hand.

"Wasabi, you can't, not with that cut," GoGo pointed out.

"Don't worry about it bro, I've got clean up tonight. I know I don't do it right, or whatever, but you have enough on your plate." Wasabi pressed his lips together in disappointment but nodded.

"I guess I'll be going then, see you Thursday."

"Say goodbye to your brother and dad first, at least," his mom instructed, maybe a little disappointed that her middle child was leaving so soon, but out of ways to keep him here any longer. She clearly couldn't even keep her youngest or her husband from leaving the table before dessert, so what was going to distract Wasabi from his urgent mission of going home?

"Alright." Wasabi headed upstairs, towards Khary's room, but hesitated at first. GoGo had followed him and watched him swing the door open to a random room, beginning to run his hands through his hair when he was disappointed with what he saw.

"It's a glorified storage closet!" He muttered, sounding angry, sad, and stressed. He glanced around the room, which used to be so neat and orderly and was now full of cardboard boxes and clearly unused exercise machines. His parents had given him none of the furniture that had been in his room and it distressed him endlessly that his beloved old desk was gone (hopefully Khary had gotten it) and his bed was dismantled and leaning up against the wall. He let the door close and looked away. It wasn't that his parents had changed his room when he moved out, that made sense, it was just that this room had been his oasis of order and now that was gone. He blinked back tears, far too tired from tonight, and went to check on Khary, knocking on the next door over, respecting the familiar KEEP OUT sign.

"Yeah?" Khary asked from inside.

"I'm headed out, I just wanted to say goodbye. See if there was anything you wanted to talk about before I go."

"Eh… I'll see you on Thursday. If there's anything I need to say, I'll say it then."

"Right, goodbye then. Hope your head feels better. Have fun in school!" Both brothers sighed on either side of the door, and then Wasabi made the quick trek to his father's office, not bothering to open that door either, barely even knocking.

"Dad, I'm headed out, I know you're busy, so I'll just be going." Wasabi couldn't hide the bitterness as he played out the too busy narrative he was so used to, and then he turned and left before his father could open up, not allowing himself to glance at his old room again.

"That was… A lot." GoGo mentioned when they were in his car. He undid his tie, suffocating a little, folding it up and hiding it in his glove compartment, where he would immediately forget about it.

"You don't have to pretend you like my family. You were angry too, I could tell. Honestly, I'd like to hear it from your perspective."

"There seemed to be a chill over the room when I mentioned your OCD, what was that about?"

"Oh, that? It's just because I don't have OCD. My family doesn't own up to problems very easily, and they always expected me to just deal with it, you know. To just cope after therapy failed the first time." GoGo scowled when she heard that.

"That's not fair, you must have been under such unbelievable pressure."

"Maybe they were trying to help, they just always missed their mark. I'm just so tired… Maybe after Thursday, maybe there can be some distance between us. I just have to survive Thursday." Wasabi pulled through a quick coffee drive-through.

"Are sure you need coffee?" GoGo asked, worried and sad for him.

"I'm not sleeping tonight, I might as well."

"Try to get some rest."

"...I'll try."

"Is there anything you want to talk about? About them, or tonight?" GoGo asked, suddenly remembering the conversation that had started last time in the car. His first hint about marriage. She didn't want to bring that up now though, not after all he'd been through today.

"I just want some distance..." He dropped her off at her and Honey Lemon's place.

"Okay. I love you, Wasabi."

"I love you too. Goodnight, GoGo."

"Sleep well, Wasabi."

Honey Lemon ambushed her as soon as she got inside.

"You met his parents! That's big! How was it?" GoGo frowned.

"It was pretty rough. It was a weird night, and Wasabi was miserable the whole time, it's clear that he and his parents aren't exactly on the same wavelength. It really put him on edge, he wasn't himself all evening, he said stuff I've never heard him say before."

"Bad stuff?" Honey Lemon asked, clearly worried as well.

"Most of it was good, at least in the sense that he was opening up about his past, and some of the stuff was about our relationship that he'd just never said before, mostly though it seemed like he was just barely holding in his anger towards them. I can't blame him, but it was hard to watch him break down without knowing how to help. And he invited them to his place for dinner on Thursday, which might also be a disaster. We'll see."

"Maybe it will go better if he's more in control of the environment. It was probably really hard to have that little control over things."

"I think… I think I was all he had tonight," GoGo said with a sad grimace.

"Then it's good that you're always there for him." Honey Lemon never failed to find a silver lining and, though she knew Wasabi would still be up, GoGo was eventually able to get some rest, knowing she would be there for him in the morning.


	5. Meal Planning

**I'd love it if you dropped a comment, it can be a hate comment if you want. XD**

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"Hey, Wasabi, are you okay?" Fred leaned over to him, lightly nudging his arm and giving him a concerned look. Wasabi had gotten a second coffee but not touched his breakfast at all.

"Yeah, just fine. You can have my pastry."

"Sorry, that was the wrong question, the question I should have asked is what's bothering you since I can tell you're not okay." Fred still took the pastry.

"I'm just getting ready for a kind of important dinner on Thursday." It was Monday. He stood up then, getting a refill for his coffee and striking up a conversation with Hiro's aunt.

"You're an amazing cook, can I get some advice? I'm returning a dinner party for my parents, my mom made stir fry so that's off the table, I just want to do something nice that's not too hard but will still be impressive."

"Pork chops, salad, warm bread and butter, and a dessert."

"That sounds amazing, thank you, I can do that! Except I don't really have time to make a dessert though… I've still got class and stuff." Aunt Cass gave him a sympathetic smile.

"You said it was Thursday? I'll give you the bread and desserts, on the house. You've more than helped me as a barista here when it gets busy. It's the least I can do." Wasabi was so grateful he wanted to hug her.

"You're getting invited to the next dinner party," he promised with a smile.

"I'll be looking forward to it Wesley. Drop by after classes on Thursday."

"Okay, thank you again."

"We need a break from dinner parties," GoGo said, resting her head on Wasabi's side.

"You're right… We need a date night or something."

"Before or after Thursday?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'd love to do it before but you know there's no time. After Thursday, once we've recovered." He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Sounds good." He left his forehead pressed against hers for a second before he pulled away.

"We should head to class," Hiro reminded, grabbing his backpack and trying to ignore the awkward PDA. GoGo didn't usually do that kind of thing in public, but it was nice, occasionally, to steal a moment with him. And it seemed to raise his spirits as well.

"Right. Wasabi, you're going to eat something today, right?" GoGo asked.

"We'll see how I feel later." GoGo crossed her arms.

"You have to eat." They walked out of the cafe, arguing without malice. Fred watched, still not convinced that everything was okay. So he decided to play detective, once again fixating on something and not letting it go until it was resolved. That was what he was best at, stubbornly pursuing what he cared about.

"What's up with your parents?" Fred asked later when it was just him and Wasabi in the lab. Wasabi looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"What's going on with you? You saw them last night and now you're really, really sad. So what happened?"

"We just don't have a good relationship. I've had a really busy semester between working part-time, doing Big Hero 6, having classes, and maintaining some semblance of a social life… And just out of nowhere I had to deal with them. I've been successfully avoiding them since I moved out and I wasn't ready to be pulled back into their world."

"So why've you been avoiding them?" Fred asked, leaning forward, hands clasped, looking serious. Wasabi messed with his hair and then sorted his toolset. It really wasn't easy to work with an injured hand. He thought about the answer for a while. He had let GoGo see for herself, so how to articulate it to Fred?

"...My dad is always busy, too busy for me, my mom expects too much from me, and neither of them wants to admit that I have problems, they just want me to cope and be fine. And I can't cope and be fine. I can't be as happy all the time as my brother is!" Wasabi fell quiet when it became an outburst. His hands were shaking.

"Don't you have two brothers?" Fred asked.

"Yeah. I'm worried about Khary. I'm worried that he'll end up like me. All sad and angry and out of control and stuff."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. I get it, man, it's not fun to have so much to live up to or to feel like no one has time for you. But if you don't meet their expectation that's their fault, look at you, you're incredible, you're always doing so much, you're properly living life to the fullest in my book. As for the time they give you, Big Hero 6 will always have time for you, and maybe your parents will give you the time you seek after if you don't avoid them. I don't know if that's the solution to your problem, I really don't. But I know that sometimes I have to reach out to find someone on the other side." Wasabi was quiet. He studied his workspace, making sure it was ordered to his preference. He thought about the times in his life he'd reached out, and who had been there to reach out and save him every time. It was always GoGo.

"Isn't that what I'm doing right now? With these dinners?"

"You might be physically present, but you still could be putting up walls and doing your best not to be reached." Fred was more observant than people gave him credit for. Wasabi shifted his eyes to the ground, not wanting to own up to the walls he was building.

"So it's my fault?"

"What? No! That's not what I'm saying. Your parents still clearly don't get you, and if you don't think they ever will, you really don't have to see them after Thursday. But if you think they can change and want them to, you'll both have to make an effort. Just waiting for things to happen doesn't work, trust me." Fred stood up, offering Wasabi a hand.

"Let's go get lunch." Wasabi begrudgingly followed, thinking about what Fred had said, wondering what he was going to do, how Thursday was going to turn out, and if he was doomed to fail from the start.


	6. Pre-Dinner Conversation

"You're not wearing a suit this time," Damon said, giving his brother a laugh and a look over.

"Oh, you noticed that." Wasabi looked embarrassed about overdressing for the dinner party the other evening. Now he was wearing his normal clothes, though he'd changed several times that day and now wore an apron over his sweater.

"I think mom and dad thought it was professional and very grown-up, but to me, you mainly looked like you were trying too hard. You don't have to worry so much about this."

"I leave for a few minutes and you magically show up to start insulting Wasabi," GoGo said from behind Damon, who stood in the doorway.

"Sorry I'm early but the 'rents are planning on arriving on time or a little late and I was only a little bit convinced that you gave us a fake address, which would have been really funny." Damon was just as annoying on his own but less relentlessly positive without an audience. Wasabi was a little irritated by the suggestion that his parents would be late. He had been endlessly punished for staying out a little later and missing mere minutes of family dinners. If they were late, he would be just as unforgiving.

"You look good, sweetheart," Damon added as he stepped back so GoGo could get by with last-minute emergency salad dressings.

"Unbelievable," GoGo muttered, rolling her eyes, Wasabi shooting Damon a glare. Damon laughed and stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender.

"I have a girlfriend, dude. I'm just playing." Wasabi studied him critically, not fully believing him.

"If you have a girlfriend, why wasn't mom bragging on you at dinner for it? Why didn't you bring her to visit? Seems fishy."

"It's still early days, man. I'm pretty serious about her but we're taking it as slow as Crystal wants to. Which, right now, includes not introducing her to mom and dad. Mom would be too excited, she'd tell all her friends, and what if it doesn't work out? What if she's not the one? What if mom didn't like her?" Damon sounded much more serious than he had before.

"Makes sense. If you hadn't met GoGo in the grocery store I might still be pretending to be single. I didn't want to give them the chance to judge her. I'm sure they judged her." Wasabi glanced at GoGo, his face sad and his heart sinking fast. He hated that he knew his parents would never really like his choices.

"Oh, for sure. Khary and I like you a lot, Leiko, but mom thinks you're enabling Wasabi and dad goes along with whatever mom says without much thought."

"Enabling him?"

"Mom's never really believed that Wasabi has OCD… That's too big of a problem for her. When we were testing out therapy it was okay, not as scary you know. But when therapy didn't work she built up her defenses, decided that if he hadn't been cured then maybe the problem wasn't as big as they said. Lying to herself didn't hurt as much as watching Wasabi break down like the rest of us had to." Wasabi was shocked by his brother's candor. He'd never heard that perspective. He'd always just felt like he was being pushed away because of a condition he couldn't control. It still hurt for his problems to be invalidated, but it made more sense when someone else's perspective was explained.

"I didn't mean to hurt you…" Wasabi whispered. Damon looked at him, concerned.

"Oh, man, of course not, I know that and they know that. It's not your fault." Damon had grabbed Wasabi's shoulder several times since they'd run into each other in the grocery store. This was the first time that it felt comforting. Wasabi nearly pulled his older brother into a hug, but he held back.

"It never really felt like you were worried. "

Damon sighed, "Ah, that's probably true. I tried my best to be positive for you guys. I thought that if I could just keep being happy, mom and dad and you and Khary could be happier. I didn't want to give you guys anything more to worry about. That doesn't mean I didn't care about you. I just didn't want to make you guys scared by being scared… Does that even make sense?"

"Yeah, it does. I have a lot to think about."

"Mom tried not to worry by convincing herself you were okay, that you could fix yourself. You're a smart kid, she really believed in you, she still does. Dad distracted himself from worrying by working but I know that it hurt him a lot to see how hard you had it. You don't have to give them a second chance, you know that, right? You don't have to let them back into your life. But they do love you. They do care about you."

"Maybe I needed them to show it back then. Maybe I need them to show it now. They don't know how to care about me," Wasabi said abruptly, not willing to forgive them as easily as he was starting to forgive his brother. At least Damon had always seemed brotherly, even when that meant teasing and poking. Damon was annoying, but he'd been a good enough brother.

Their parents weren't here yet, there was no knock on the door, no familiar old car pulling up, visible from the window. They had a snatch of time, so Wasabi asked the other thing weighing on his mind.

"Do you think Khary is okay? I would know if he had OCD so I don't think that's it, but he could still have anxiety and depression and I…" Wasabi couldn't put his thoughts into words. Damon could though. Damon could easily guess what Wasabi was thinking.

"Feel guilty for leaving your brother when he's still struggling?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"That's how I felt with you. We just have to do better at this. That's why I came to visit, to make sure Khary was doing okay on his own with them. Running into you was a happy accident… I didn't think you'd want to talk to me after I left you to cope with your demons alone."

"I'm not going to lie, I was avoiding you as much as I was avoiding them. And I was avoiding Khary for the same reason you thought I was avoiding you. But that's insane, I'm a bad brother. I could've spent the past three years being there for him…. I'm glad we ran into each other. I don't know about them… But I want to reconnect with you guys." They'd moved the conversation into the kitchen so that Wasabi could finish dinner and GoGo hung back a little, ready to get the door for the rest of his family, letting the brothers reconcile on their own. They didn't seem to need a mediator, so she'd save that for whatever fireworks came with dinner.

"Before the year ends you should bring Khary and come down for a visit. Have a guys weekend. It'll be a return for the dinner party, and you can meet Crystal and Beckett, her son." Wasabi was surprised that Damon had already been drawn into a fatherly role, but Damon sounded so nonchalant about it he didn't ask any questions.

"Let's see how things go with Khary tonight before we make any plans. I have to rebuild that relationship first.

"Right, of course. How's dinner coming along?" Damon asked, sneaking a cherry tomato off the salad and popping it in his mouth.

"Just keeping it warm now," Wasabi replied, checking everything over for the five hundredth time.

"You know," he decided to tell Damon, "I'm in therapy now. It was GoGo's suggestion. It's still hard to do but things are getting better."

"That's good. I'm proud of you." The moment was sweet but didn't last.

"Oh, they're here," GoGo called across the apartment, waiting for the knock before swinging the door open.

"Showtime," Wasabi whispered to himself. Time to face what he'd been dreading all week.

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**If I were to write about a guy's weekend for the brothers it would be in a separate one shot and not an additional chapter to this story which has grown into its own thing but probably only has three more chapters. The Dinner Party and the Aftermath. We'll see though. I'm not good at being concise lol.**


	7. Sometime Between Dinner and Dessert

**Almost done! I think there will be two more chapters, but maybe three if I want to make it to ten and have some sort of an epilogue. Probably only two though, because who needs precisely ten chapters? **

**Review if you want. I think it would be pretty lit if you did but you do you, fam.**

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"This is delicious, Wesley." His mom complimented, reaching across the table and putting her hand on his hand. Wasabi had needed to cram several extra chairs around his small table and was thinking about expanding so that all of Big Hero 6 could eat here. If he was going to go out of his way to entertain his family who made him doubt himself, he should make the same effort or more for the friends who had always supported him.

"Thank you." He managed not to flinch at the hand touch, managed to perfect his fake smile. It really was a lot easier in his own place where he knew he was in control over his environment. The house was spotless, his relationship with Damon was on the mend, this was good. This was safe. He didn't find it as hard to breathe right now as he had at the other dinner.

Then the conversation started. Conversation was the best way to derail any of his best-laid plans. When opinions surfaced, disagreements were quick to follow. And his mom was full of opinions.

"You looked so nice in that suit the other day," she said, eyeing his sweater, the air thick with implications, made tenser when she judgmentally glanced at GoGo and his hands formed into fists. It was one thing to insult his fashion sense, even though there was literally nothing wrong with it, but to insult GoGo as well? He wanted to demand she leave already, and they'd barely sat down for dinner.

"Thank you," he muttered, forcing himself to take it as a compliment, although he couldn't hide the bitterness in his tone. Everyone elected to ignore it, and Damon tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Your apartment is really nice, Wasabi. Very clean."

"I'm surprised you don't have a bigger table, you and GoGo don't entertain very often?"

"A new table is on my list, it just wasn't as pressing a matter," Wasabi said with finality, trying to convey how unimportant this dinner was, trying to infuse his words with all the anger he'd stored up. Wanting to make her, for a second, hurt as much as he had. It wasn't nice, it wasn't fair, but he wanted her to know she wasn't a priority, just like he hadn't been a priority for her. It was bull, of course, he prioritized his parents' opinion of him so much. But right now he was trying to rebel, just a little bit.

Now GoGo took control of the conversation, trying to keep a storm at bay.

"I feel like I've barely gotten to know you, Deborah, what was it that you did for work?" Deborah would have preferred to be called Mrs. Ginger but she didn't say anything.

"I'm an office administrator."

"That sounds cool. Damon, did you ever tell me about your job?" GoGo wasn't the chatty type, she wasn't a big fan of small talk. Usually, she would be all for facing these arguments head-on, might as well face what you were afraid of. But this would only end badly and so she was trying to diffuse the situation before it got too explosive. She had never seen Wasabi get so angry, except when he was dealing with his parents. It seemed like he'd looked at the information Damon had presented about their parents and decided that their relationship was set in stone, and any making of amends would be too little too late. That wasn't usually how Wasabi handled his problems. GoGo just hoped he could contain his anger until after dessert.

"Oh, I'm in customer service at a tech company in Berkeley. I just have to tell people things will be okay." It seemed that that was what he was doing now, sending Wasabi a pleading glance to keep his cool. Wasabi took a deep breath.

"That's impressive, it seems like a good fit for you." The conversation shifted to Damon and his many accolades, taking the heat off of Wasabi for a bit, as his own lifestyle was only passively under attack. When Damon's love life was questioned the slightly older man began to lie effortlessly and Khary signaled to get Wasabi's attention.

"Wasabi, my head hurts, can I lie down in your room?" Wasabi stood quickly. Khary hadn't eaten much, but Wasabi didn't take it personally. He wanted the chance to ask his brother a few questions in private anyway.

"Is something going on?" Wasabi asked worriedly, closing the blinds so that Khary could rest easily.

"Migraines, I think. Could you get me a cool washcloth? Maybe an aspirin?" Khary seemed self-diagnosed, self-treated, and self-sufficient. Wasabi remembered that self-sufficient actually meant alone in the world, at least in this family.

"Ask mom and dad to take you to the doctor," Wasabi said sternly but lovingly.

"If these keep happening you need a professional opinion, not WebMD. I know it's daunting, I didn't get the help I needed for my conditions until I was on my own. But you shouldn't have to hurt on your own anymore."

"I don't want to bother them. Money doesn't grow on trees."

"Then I'll take you, okay? Sometime soon." Wasabi soon came back with a wet cloth, water, and an aspirin.

"Can I ask you something?" Wasabi asked as he gently administered the treatments.

"I guess so," Khary whispered, and Wasabi imitated the low tones.

"Two things, actually. The first is, what did you skip to be here?"

"Oh, I work backstage for the school play. And I have a really small role, but it's nothing-"

"I want to come see it, okay?" Their parents would be too busy, but Wasabi would be there. Khary smiled and nodded slightly.

"What was the other thing?" Khary asked.

"Why'd you say that you were the reason I dropped the jar the other day? It was Damon's fault."

"Oh. I just didn't want dad to keep thinking that you hurt yourself, you know, on purpose. He worries about that thing for both of us, you know? No one worries about Damon, but they should." Wasabi sighed. Khary had a point.

"We're going to take care of each other from now on. We don't have to depend on them. Maybe we shouldn't cut them out entirely, maybe we should, but you don't have to feel alone anymore. I'm here for you." Wasabi's voice wavered, trying to keep quiet but burning with anger and sadness and worry. Khary nodded again.

"I love you, Khary. Get some rest." Wasabi crept out of the room and regained a stoic expression as he returned to his family.

"Is he okay?" GoGo asked, looking concerned. Almost everyone was done with the meal but Wasabi, who cleared away Khary's plate now.

"He just needs some rest." He'd tell her about his second reconciliation of the evening later. Tell her how he'd committed to taking care of this kid, being the one that Khary could reach out to. Like GoGo had been for him. Well, not exactly like that…

Wasabi skipped the rest of his meal, he'd eaten most of it, and brought out the cupcakes from Lucky Cat Cafe, offering them around the table. He skipped formalities too, not wanting to extend his parents' stay any longer.

"Damon can drive Khary home when he wakes up. I don't want to keep you guys any longer, I'm sure you both have work to do." Even during dessert, his mom had sent judgmental comments in Wasabi and GoGo's direction, and he was so exhausted by defending himself and the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

For the first night since the first dinner party Wasabi didn't follow up his meal with a coffee. He needed rest. He needed a detox. He and GoGo and Damon sat around in the living room, all drained after the evening. Wasabi leaned back and fell across the couch, head resting in GoGo's lap. She messed with his hair a little and Damon smiled at them.

"You two are made for each other. I wasn't sure at first, you seem so fiery, Leiko, and Wasabi is so… Cautious. But you seem to balance each other out. And I'm happy for you guys." Damon spoke like he was RSVPing to their wedding. Wasabi smiled for the first time since his parents had left. It might not be the support he'd longed for all his life, but someone in his family had his back.

"Listen, life hasn't been perfect, but we have to take care of each other, you, me, and Khary. We get to decide who's family." Wasabi looked up at GoGo and repeated his statement, "We decide who's family."

"Amen to that," Damon agreed, noticing Khary in the doorway and gathering their things. He squeezed Wasabi's shoulder as he was about to leave, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Protect him, Wasabi."

"I will," Wasabi promised, pulling each brother into a hug before they said goodbye.

For the first night since they ran into each other in the grocery store, Wasabi slept well. He hadn't quite cut ties with his parents, but he'd strengthened his ties with his brothers, and that mattered more. He got to choose his family.


	8. Date Night

**I just wanted to get a touch sappy. Enjoy, review, and don't forget to tip your waiters!**

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"What if we just didn't sit down in the restaurant?" GoGo suggested, liking to make fast food even faster, if possible.

"What would we do instead?" Wasabi asked, giving her an incredulous look. Perhaps their more recent dinners had been a little too stifling, a little too formal, but they still had to have order! GoGo rolled her eyes at him.

"We zip through the drive-through, eat in the car, and spend the night on the town, just driving and talking."

"We eat in the car," Wasabi said, beginning in on an argument he was definitely going to lose and looking like she'd suggested something just short of sacrilege.

"What's so wrong with that?" GoGo asked, just wanting to hear how extensive his list would be, positive she could ease each fear.

"Distracted driving is illegal and dangerous, I could get my car dirty, and drive-throughs never ever get my order right."

"You got drive-through coffee the other night," She reminded.

"Yeah, and they got my order wrong."

"Okay, we'll go in, order to go, and then eat in the car. I know we're both neat enough to eat in the car like adults. And we can sit in the parking lot while you finish your food and before we drive around."

"Okay, fine. That doesn't sound as bad." He gave in rather easily, knowing like she had, that this was an argument that they were going to compromise on but that she would ultimately win. They stopped for food, patiently waiting for their to-go bags.

"Check your order before we leave," GoGo reminded. Wasabi glanced through his bag. Everything was in order. He nodded at her.

"You're the one who wanted to talk, so what do you want to talk about?" He asked, digging into his fries.

GoGo took a fry and, before popping it into her mouth, glanced at him, "I think we should talk about our future." Munch. He choked on his fries.

"Yeah, I guess we should talk about that. It's uh… It's gonna be a good talk, right?"

"I hope so. You tell me."

"If you're wondering if I want a future with you, I think I've made that abundantly clear. I love you, GoGo. Wherever you want to go after college, wherever you want to end up, I'll be there."

"That's the same kind of cheesy stuff you always say," GoGo said, after taking a bite of her cheeseburger.

"Yeah?" He looked embarrassed, wiping his hands on his napkin, having eaten a little too fast out of nervousness while he debated what to say about the future. He put the car into motion. GoGo leaned back, closing her eyes for a second.

"Give me specifics," she requested.

"I said I would follow you anywhere, but I see us making that decision together. I like to have a plan but I plan to take the first job wherever there's work for both of us. Whether that's Sacramento, Berkeley, or here in San Fransokyo. We'd move in with each other, and it probably wouldn't be easy at first, but it would be worth it. That's what I think."

"If we're going to start making decisions together, then we need to work on compromise. Because I think sometimes we just give in to each other. I don't think you need to spend twenty minutes picking out pasta sauce, and I know that sometimes I push you around a bit. I think we just need to work on when we'll give in, when we'll hold our ground, and when we'll find a solution we can both agree on. Does that make sense?" GoGo didn't want to be right all the time if it made Wasabi miserable, but she wasn't going to bow to all of his particulars either. This would take two.

"Right. Set boundaries… Decide which issues are actually important to argue about, which ones we should just work to find an agreement, and which ones don't matter at all," he repeated it in his own words to help him better understand.

"For the most part, groceries don't matter," GoGo challenged. Wasabi thought about it.

"Groceries are something we need to agree on. I need to know what to get, I need to know that something is the best I can get for what I have. It doesn't feel right otherwise. So if we can just agree on everything, and stick to it… That might smooth out the bumps in our future."

"Okay, one of these days we'll talk brands. I suppose chores will be the same way. Don't think that you're going to do all the chores."

"Can't I?" He sulked.

"No, of course not. It'll be my house too, we'll share the workload."

"I'll try not to go too hard on you with my standards. I know some of the stuff I stress over is irrational."

"We can deal with irrational," GoGo promised, studying his face. There were things she didn't ask. Because life together was more than just chores and careers. She didn't know if she could bring it up.

Wasabi brought it up, "How do we feel about kids?" It just came out of nowhere. He said we, as if he wasn't sure, just wanting to toss it out there, while they drove and planned for their future.

"Well." Had GoGo thought about this? Of course. Of course she had, every now and then, and sometimes in dreams.

"Well," Wasabi repeated, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Well, it would be another bit of chaos, wouldn't it? So if we were to have kids or a kid, it would have to be after we had gotten used to living with each other and we were financially stable. Not to mention, neither of us exactly comes from the most positive family background. I don't even know if we'd be good parents."

"That's a lot to consider," he agreed, noticing she was overthinking the way he usually did.

"But if we were to just be brave and go for it, would we want to?" GoGo hesitated at his question.

"You don't have to answer now," He added hastily.

"I think I would want to if you wanted to," GoGo said, glancing out the window before looking back at him. He didn't glance at her, his eyes carefully trained on the road.

"I… I do. But, more than anything, I'd want to have a kid because we didn't come from the most positive background. And if we had a kid or fostered or adopted or anything like that… I'd just feel so happy knowing that I was giving someone a life better than the one I had. Better than what we had."

"Do you think we could be better?"

"I know we could. We're unstoppable, GoGo." They pulled up at a stoplight, and he leaned over to kiss her cheek before returning his focus to the road.


	9. Family Dinner

**Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter! This has been such a fun story to write and I'm so happy it exploded beyond what I expected, thinking it would only be a few chapters. Of course, this is the LAST chapter, so this A/N is a little bittersweet, but I'm happy to have gone on the journey with you. **

**If you just found this story and you liked it, check out Moving Too Fast, which tackles the future of GoGosabi, Khary, and Damon, or When We Were Younger, which tackles the past. And keep your eyes peeled for plenty of GoGosabi in the new year, and some other fun BH6 stuff too!**

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"I was worried you two weren't going to get here before the guests did!" GoGo chided her boyfriend and Khary, arms crossed. They were having just one more dinner party, with Fred, Hiro and Aunt Cass, Khary, and Honey Lemon. And the robots. The baked spaghetti was still warming in the oven, but everything else was pretty much ready and the table was perfectly set.

"We just got done with the clinic and the other errands," Wasabi excused, and Khary held up a prescription bottle of migraine meds, shaking it a little.

"Well I'm glad you got that done but I would have been mad if you got here later than any of our guests. So don't do that again." She swatted him lightly. Wasabi rubbed his arm and laughed.

"Sorry." He kissed her head, causing her cheeks to redden adorably.

"People are going to be here soon so get ready!" He sprinted off to hurriedly change clothes, making sure he transferred the contents of his pockets to the new outfit. When he walked out, Khary was helping with the salad and talking casually and easily with GoGo. Wasabi smiled at the scene, glad that his brother was able to open up when out from under the scrutiny of their parents. Tadashi and GoGo had helped Wasabi with that, and now Wasabi and GoGo were helping Khary with the same.

"Is everything ready?" He asked, tidying up the kitchen out of habit.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Khary joked, a brilliant smile on his face.

"You barely helped either." Wasabi pretended to be insulted.

"I was running errands." Khary's grin was contagious, both GoGo and Wasabi had to laugh.

"Our friends are going to love you," Wasabi decided, giving his little brother a hug. Khary looked embarrassed but overall pleased with the prediction. There was a knock at the door.

"Speaking of..." Wasabi went to welcome his first guests into his humble abode.

"I hope you don't mind but I couldn't resist bringing dessert!" Aunt Cass beamed with pride as she presented the tray of iced brownies.

"Thank you so much! They look amazing. Please come in, make yourself at home! This is my little brother Khary. Khary this is Cass and Hiro Hamada. Hiro, Khary is 15, you two might have stuff in common."

"I can see the resemblance," Hiro commented, looking at Khary and offering him a handshake. Soon the boys were talking animatedly about Mind Smith II Turbo, and Aunt Cass had gone to help GoGo in the kitchen. Wasabi bounced up and down on the soles of his shoes, a little nervous about the night, waiting for the next guest.

Fred and Honey Lemon arrived at the same.

"I was helping her with science!" Fred said excitedly.

"I'm pretty sure that means Honey Lemon got nothing done," GoGo said from the kitchen.

"Excuse me, I was very helpful. You just wouldn't understand because you've never helped anyone before." Fred attempted to sit on the kitchen counter but was quickly slapped down by GoGo.

"I'm literally making you dinner as we speak."

"Fair point, fair point," Fred conceded as he nursed his wound. Honey Lemon patted him on the back consolingly, laughing with GoGo.

"You'll have to tell us all about what you were working on over dinner. But first, meet my little brother Khary!" Wasabi was eager to show Khary off.

"Hey! Wasabi Junior! I'm Fred."

"Please don't call me that."

"Ah, okay. I'll have time to come up with the perfect nickname later."

"Just go with it," Wasabi advised his brother before Khary got pulled into one of Honey Lemon's signature hugs.

"It's so nice to finally meet you Khary! You're part of the family already!" Wasabi withheld a laugh, remembering the warm embraces he wasn't ready for when he first met Honey Lemon. He pulled the blushing teen out of Honey Lemon's arms.

"Everyone's here, so go ahead and find a spot at the table. Dinner will be served in just a moment." This dinner was about laughter and family and friends, this dinner was about letting loose and being yourself, but mostly, this dinner was about love. Wasabi held so much love for everyone at the expanded table, and at one point he'd thought himself broken and incapable of being loved. Now he looked around and he was truly happy to be with his found family. Now his eyes landed on GoGo, and that made him happiest of all.

Dinner went without an argument, without an interrogation, without the insecurities Wasabi had begun associating with dinner parties. Khary and Hiro didn't stop talking video games and pop culture for a second, with Fred occasionally joining in when he wasn't bragging about his scientific escapades from earlier. Honey Lemon fact-checked him every now and then, and GoGo didn't even bother calling him out for his inventive additions. Aunt Cass and Wasabi talked recipes, GoGo and Honey Lemon talked about dinner and homework. Occasionally conversations overlapped, and everyone was enjoying themselves, from the entree to the dessert. When everyone was stuffed and coffee had been made to go with the brownies, Wasabi stood up.

"May I propose a toast?" GoGo glanced up at him and laughed.

"What are you doing?"

"I just want to say a few things, if everyone would give me their attention." Six pairs of eyes focused on him. He was suddenly very very nervous. He cleared his throat, psyched himself up and began.

"I wanted to say a sincere thank you to everyone at this table. Everyone here is a part of my family, everyone here has helped me become the person I am, and I owe you all so much. I want to thank you for taking me in and making me feel welcomed and loved, and I want to thank you for doing the same for my brother. It means the world to me." Wasabi hesitated and looked at GoGo.

"Of course, GoGo means the most to me. You've always been my best friend and my family, you saved me from my deepest insecurities and put light and joy back into my life. I can be brave and happy because of you. I love you with all of my heart. Which is why I need to ask you," he got down on one knee and pulled out a little box, one of his errands from that afternoon, "will you marry me?"

The world around them froze. GoGo looked him in the eye, unable to breathe, finally finding her reply.


End file.
